'60 Minutes' aired a segment this past Sunday on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation scholarship program for low income students.
The laudable goal of the program is to get low income kids into college where they will earn a degree and with it the ability to earn more money and lift their families out of poverty. Some 20,000 students have benefited from the program and most used the opportunity wisely. Colleges are helping with the program by giving preferential admission to kids simply because of their economic status. Why wouldn't they? A Gates scholarship is money in the bank for a college as well as a guaranty of a high rate of completion.
As is usually the case, middle class families and students are the ones who suffer. To qualify for the program, family income must be below $65,000. Where is the advantage for a family with 2 blue collar workers who brings home $80,000 and pays all their own bills? Shouldn't it be weighted to include the social service benefits the poorer family receives? How many kids lost a rightfully earned acceptance in order to accommodate the poor kids? If I was a family earning over $65,000, with a bright student, I'd think about lowering my income. A 4 year college degree costs much more than what some families bring in above the $65,000 threshold.
What happens to total economic picture of the country if 20,000 poor kids get a degree and 20,000 others do not?
I have no problem with programs that lift the poor out of poverty. I do have a problem when it is at the expense of hardworking middle America.
